The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational movement of a body. An advantageous embodiment of the invention detects a rotational movement of the body of a child. The invention notifies a care giver that a child has moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
In the United States an estimated three thousand infants a year suddenly die from unexplained causes. Apparently healthy children can suddenly die without any obvious cause of death. This phenomenon is known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In the United States Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the leading cause of death of children between the age of one month and one year. It is second only to congenital abnormalities as the leading overall cause of death for all children less than one year of age.
A potentially unsafe sleeping position for children is that of lying on the stomach. A child should lie on his or her back in order to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There is therefore a need for an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational motion of a child to determine when a child has moved from a position of lying on the back to a position of lying on the stomach.
There is also a need to have an apparatus and method for immediately alerting a care giver that a child has moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
There is also a need for an apparatus and method for alerting a remotely located care giver that a child moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
If a child begins to experience difficulty in breathing, or begins to experience a high rate of heartbeat, or begins to experience a low rate of heartbeat, whoever is caring for the child (usually one of the child""s parents) may have only a few seconds to respond to the child""s distress. Therefore, it is very desirable to be able to provide a child""s care giver with immediate notification that the child is experiencing cardiac or respiratory difficulty. This may be achieved by using a physiological condition monitor that is capable of continuously monitoring the physiological conditions of the child.
The present invention for detecting a rotational motion of the body of a child may be used in conjunction with physiological condition monitors. In particular, the present invention may be used in conjunction with the type of physiological condition monitors set forth and described in applicant""s related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/536,093 filed Mar. 24, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cPhysiological Condition Monitors Utilizing Very Low Frequency Acoustic Signals.xe2x80x9d
Physiological condition monitors are capable of obtaining and recording signals indicative of a child""s physiological processes. The most commonly monitored physiological processes are respiration and cardiac activity. Physiological condition monitors that monitor respiration and cardiac activity usually comprise one or more sensors coupled to the body of the child whose physiological conditions are to be measured. The sensors are capable of sensing changes in pressure (or changes in other types of physical parameters) that are caused by the child""s breathing and cardiac activity. Physiological condition monitors measure and record waveform signals received from the sensors. Electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform signals may be used to measure a child""s cardiac activity. Respiration waveform signals are used to measure a child""s breathing rate and other types of information concerning respiration.
Low heart rate is referred to as bradycardia. Cessation of respiration is referred to as apnea. When a child exhibits apnea or bradycardia a life threatening condition very likely exists. Physiological condition monitors that are capable of continuously monitoring a child""s respiration and cardiac activity are extremely useful for quickly detecting apnea or bradycardia. Such physiological condition monitors are also useful for quickly detecting other abnormal conditions such as a high heart rate (known as tachycardia) or a very slow breathing rate or a very high breathing rate.
Children who are susceptible to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are known to exhibit apnea and bradycardia. Physiological condition monitors that are capable of continually monitoring respiration and cardiac activity are particularly useful in the early detection of apnea or bradycardia in children. Most physiological condition monitors are equipped with an alarm system to sound an alert when such conditions are detected.
A physiological condition monitor may be coupled directly to a child while the child is lying in a bed. In such an arrangement the waveform signals from the sensors coupled to the child""s body may be sent through wires directly to a detector circuit (and other circuitry) located in a console by the child""s bed. The wires attached to the child restrict the child""s movements.
In other cases it is more practical to provide a physiological condition monitor located in a belt or harness that is to be worn by the child. In this type of monitor the waveform signal information from the sensors is transmitted via a radio frequency transmitter to a radio frequency receiver in a base station unit that is located away from the site of the physiological condition monitor. The base station unit contains circuitry for analyzing and recording the waveform signal information. The base station unit contains circuitry for detecting abnormal conditions in the child""s breathing (such as apnea) or abnormal conditions in the child""s cardiac activity (such as bradycardia or tachycardia). Because of the freedom of movement that this type of monitor provides, it is the preferred type of monitor for monitoring the physiological conditions of children.
If the data that is acquired by the physiological condition monitor is not transmitted to the base station and recorded there, then the data must be recorded in a memory data storage device located within the physiological condition monitor. To preserve the freedom of movement that is provided by a belt or harness monitor, the memory data storage device within the physiological condition monitor must be battery powered.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform signals may be used to obtain information concerning a child""s cardiac activity. To obtain ECG waveforms an ECG sensor unit is coupled to the child. The ECG sensor unit is coupled to the child via electrodes capable of receiving cardiac activity signals directly from the child""s body. In such an arrangement the electrodes must be attached directly to the child""s skin in order to receive the signals. The ECG sensor unit receives the ECG electrical signals from the electrodes. The ECG signals received by the ECG sensor unit are then either recorded within the physiological condition monitor or transmitted to a base station unit.
The present invention for detecting a rotational motion of the body of a child may be used to initiate monitoring by physiological condition monitors. When a child is lying on his or her back, it may be unnecessary for the physiological condition monitors to be operating continuously. In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the physiological condition monitors is not initiated until the present invention detects a rotational motion of the child that places the child in the potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach. When the present invention detects a rotational movement of the child that causes the child to roll onto his or her stomach, the present invention generates a signal that automatically initiates the operation of the physiological condition monitors. The present invention also sends a signal to the care giver that informs the care giver that the operation of the physiological condition monitors has been initiated.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational movement of a body. An advantageous embodiment of the invention detects a rotational movement of the body of a child. The invention notifies a care giver that a child has moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
The apparatus of the invention comprises at least a first tilt switch connected in series with a second tilt switch. A child in a bed can roll over to the left one hundred eighty degrees (180xc2x0) or to the right one hundred eighty degrees (180xc2x0). The spatial relationship of the tilt switches connected in series make the tilt switches capable of detecting when the body of the child has been rotated around a reference axis of rotation by one hundred eighty degrees (180xc2x0) in either direction.
When the body of the child rotates around the reference axis by one hundred eighty degrees (180xc2x0), the tilt switches in the apparatus of the present invention generate a signal that indicates that the child has rolled over onto his or her stomach. The tilt switches send the signal to a controller. The controller receives the signal from the tilt switches and causes a radio frequency transmitter to transmit an alarm signal to a base station that is monitored by a care giver. Alternatively, the controller transmits the alarm signal to a sound alarm that is capable of causing an audio speaker to make a loud audible sound.
In either case, the care giver is thereby immediately notified that the child has rolled over onto his or her stomach. The care giver is then able to respond and turn the child over so that the child is once again lying on his or her back.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for detecting when the body of a child has been rotated around a reference axis of rotation by one hundred eighty degrees (180xc2x0) in either direction.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational motion of a child in order to immediately notify a care giver that a child has moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for notifying a remotely located care giver that a child moved from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for initiating the operation of physiological condition monitors whenever the present invention detects a rotational movement of a child that causes the child to move from a position of lying on the back to a potentially unsafe position of lying on the stomach.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for sending coded messages to a care giver who simultaneously monitors the status of several children to provide the care giver with information concerning the status of the position of each of the children and concerning the operational status of the apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for sending coded messages to a care giver who simultaneously monitors the status of the position of each of several children to provide the care giver with information concerning the operational status of the apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational movement of an inorganic body such as a shipping crate that contains a product that must be stored and shipped in an upright position.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
Before undertaking the Detailed Description, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccomprisexe2x80x9d and derivatives thereof mean inclusion without limitation; the term xe2x80x9cor,xe2x80x9d is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases xe2x80x9cassociated withxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cassociated therewith,xe2x80x9d as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term xe2x80x9ccontrollerxe2x80x9d means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. In particular, a controller may be a data processor capable of executing an application program stored in a memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the data processor. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most, instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.